Baby Links program in Van Buren County wins 4-year grant

LAWRENCE — The Early Care and Education Office of the Van Buren Intermediate School District has been award­ed a four-year, $187,500 grant from the Children’s Trust Fund of Michigan to, in the words of the local program director, give “the best start possible” to at-risk kids.

The Baby Links program tar­gets families most at risk for the potential for abuse and neglect of children.

It includes both babies and expectant mothers and is an extension of the Family Links program that helps families with kids up to age 5.

“For the first time, we’ll be able to work with pregnant moms in the prenatal stage,” said Margie Murphy, Great Start Collabora­tive director. The hope is to help 25 families.

The program will be a sup­port group and a source of in­formation on how health and nutrition affect babies.

“For instance, if a mother drinks even one drink of alco­hol ... chances are the baby may have some fetal alcohol syn­drome affects,” Murphy said.

Dads are included, too. “We have a lot of material that we give parents,” Murphy said.

The program, which also in­cludes health screenings, will rely heavily on referrals from Bangor-based Intercare Com­munity Health Network, but referrals can come from any­where. Direct services begin Jan 1.

“We are reaching out to a really high-risk population when we try to get those teen moms,” Murphy said.